Dear Percy
by epicsilverbullet
Summary: Annabeth and Percy meet, and immediately hit it off. But when Percy gets called back for service in the Marines, the two communicate with one another by writing letters.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hmm. First 21 Jump Street, now Dear John. I seem to have a thing for writing stories based on movies starring Channing Tatum. But maybe that's cuz he's so FREAKING HOT AND HAS A FREAKING TWELVE PACK AND IS SO AWESOME AND FUNNY AND HOT.**

**Sorry for the rambling. I try not to show my girly side too often.**

**Anyways, I'm doing another "story based off of a movie" fanfic, and this one is based on the movie "Dear John".**

**Wikipedia summary- This dude named John is in the military, and he befriends this girl named Savannah and they fall in love. But then John goes back into war, so he and Savannah communicate by sending letters to each other, hence the name "Dear John." Except they screwed up everything by having Savnnah marry Tim and then... I won't spoil it for you in case you haven't seen the movie.**

**So, I hope you like "Dear Percy"! REVIEW!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO or Dear John**

* * *

**Annabeth POV**

"Hmmm... I pick..."

"Thalia, we're twenty-three years old! And besides, when playing Truth or Dare with two people, it's pretty obvious who you're going to pick."

Thalia gave an exasperated sigh and rolled over on my bed. "Just- just go with it, okay? For the sake of tradition?"

I blew a bang out of my eye. "Whatever."

"Annabeth! Truth or Dare!"

"Dare."

Thalia grinned evilly and grabbed her phone. "I dare you to prank call my cousin Percy..." she pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to me, "...using this script. He's twenty-three, like us."

I stared at her. "You have a prank calling script?"

She shrugged. "You have snowshoes, and we live in Miami. Same thing."

I guess I couldn't argue with that logic, so I scrolled through Thalia's contacts until I found the name: Percy Jackson. Hmmm. Has a nice ring to it. Kinda rolls off your tongue.

I showed the phone to Thalia. "That it?"

She nodded as I selected the "call" option. "Oh, by the way," she said, "He's in the Marines. They don't take lightly to prank calls."

My eyes widened in shock, but before I could say anything, someone picked up. In a voice that sounded really annoyed, like I'd just woken them up- even though it was two in the afternoon- answered. "'Sup?"

I looked down at the script and giggled flirtatiously. "Hi!" I gushed.

"Um...hi? Who is this?"

I giggled again. "My name is Stacey! And I don't know you, I just dialed a random number."

I could almost feel Percy glaring at the phone. "That's nice."

"I call dibs on you!"

"You- wait, what the f-"

"Sorry, I was just fending off my friend. She wanted you, but I called dibs on you."

"Oh. Well- wait a minute, I've heard that before. Thalia, is that you?"

At that, script forgotten, Thalia and I burst into laughter. I felt Percy's glare get even stronger.

"What the hell, Thalia?" he said, "I told you, I broke up with Rachel! Not the other way around! And you don't have to keep on setting me up!"

In a regular voice, I said, "Sorry about that. We were playing Truth or Dare. I'm Annabeth Chase, by the way."

Percy sighed. "Percy Jackson. And tell Thalia if she wasn't my favorite cousin I would come over to her house and-"

(action omitted due to profane description)

"Wow," I said, "Are you sure she's your favorite cousin?"

"Well, my only other cousin is emo. So yeah, I guess."

I laughed. "Well, I'll see you around."

"Yup. Don't forget to tell Thalia."

And he hung up.

I looked at Thalia. "Percy said that if you weren't his favorite cousin, he'd go to your house and-"

(action omitted due to profane description)

Thalia raised an eyebrow. "You sure I'm his favorite cousin?"

"That's what I asked him. Apparently, his only other cousin is emo."

Thalia nodded. "Yeah. Nico di Angelo. And he _is_ emo." She got up and said, "I gotta go now. See you later, Annabeth."

"See you."

When Thalia left, I didn't have much to do. And I have ADHD, so I couldn't just sit still and do nothing. So I put on some shorts and a t-shirt, and headed to the boardwalk.

* * *

**Percy POV**

"Well, I'll see you around."

"Yup. Don't forget to tell Thalia."

I hung up and collapsed onto my bed, groaning. Thalia always seemed to prank call me whenever I was sleeping.

I sighed and rolled out of bed. I sat on the floor for a few minutes, shirtless, in my boxers, before my ADHD forced me to hit the beach. I threw on my swim trunks, ran a comb through my messy, black hair (not that it would make a difference), grabbed my surfboard, and then ran out of the back door of my house to the beach.

And in case you haven't figured out, the beach is my backyard. That's why I love living in Florida.

When I threw my towel and stuff down on the sand, I looked out at the water, and saw with delight that the waves were high today.

The beach, actually water in general, seemed to be the only place I could go to calm down, and just have fun. I was always more relaxed there, and even if I didn't know why, I was glad, because I live in Florida and, like I said, the beach is my backyard.

Anyways, ignoring all the stares I was getting from random girls, I threw my surfboard into the waves and paddled out, enjoying the feel of the warm water and the sun on my back.

The waves were perfect for surfing, and I rode them for about a half hour before I took a break.

I quickly dried off and threw my towel and surfboard into my garage, and then headed off to the boardwalk.

There was a wooden staircase leading up to the boardwalk, which was kind of like a bridge that went above the beach, and even out over the water at some points. Some days, I would find one of those points and dive off the boardwalk, ten feet straight down into the water.

Today, though, I just felt like walking. So that's what I did. I walked around the boardwalk for a while, bought a stick of cotton candy, played a few arcade games.

But, after a few minutes, I saw these three guys harassing this girl.

She was pretty- blond, tanned, and she looked nice enough. She definitely didn't deserve anything they were doing to her.

Pissed off, I watched as one of the dudes stole her purse or handbag thingy and knocked it into the water. The girl looked like she was about to cry, and if there's one thing I just can't stand, it's when innocent girls cry.

I made my way over to them and said, "Hey. Why don't you guys pick on someone your own size?"

The girl looked towards me thankfully, but the three dudes just laughed. "Oh?" said one of them, walking towards me, and I recognized who it was.

"Luke," I hissed through gritted teeth, "What are you doing?"

I knew Luke in high school. He was one of those dickheads who kept on stealing girls from everyone- asking every girl out and then dumping them three days later.

He laughed. "Percy! My, my, you've gotten more arrogant! Marine training putting overconfident thoughts in your hea-"

He didn't get to finish the sentence because I punched the three of them, and they went down hard on the boardwalk, out cold.

I went over to the railing and looked down at the water, and, sure enough, there was the purse, floating in the water.

I instinctively ripped off my shirt and dove into the water. I retrieved the purse and then put it between my teeth, shimmying up the ten-foot wooden pole holding up and supporting the boardwalk.

When I leaped over the railing, tears were slowly streaming down the girl's cheeks, and that just about broke my heart, even though I fight in the US military. So I gave the girl her purse and hugged her. "It's okay," I said, "I'm sorry about what those guys did."

* * *

**Annabeth POV**_  
_

Whoa. One moment, I'm being harassed by three testosterone-pushing idiots, and the next moment, some _extremely_ hot guy with black hair and green eyes and a six-pack comes, knocks them all flat, dives into the water, gets my purse, and gives it back to me- all with his shirt off.

He stepped back and looked at me. "Are you all right?"

I dried my eyes, feeling like a wimp. "Y-yeah, I'm fine. That was really sweet of you."

He looked down and blushed in a really cute way, and held out his hand. "Percy Jackson."

What? _That_ was the guy in the Marines? Thalia's cousin?

I shook his hand. "Annabeth Chase."

He looked at me. "Hmmm... you're that prank-calling girl?"

I flushed red with embarrassment. _Curse you Thalia! _I thought, _Now you're hot cousin hates me!_

"Well," he said, "If it makes you feel better, after what those guys did- I'm glad it was you who called dibs on me."

I looked up, startled. "What?"

He blushed again and said, "Um, nothing. Want to walk with me?"

I decided to let it pass, so I nodded and he (depressingly) put his shirt back on and we walked around the boardwalk for a while.

I learned a lot about him over the next hour or so. He had been in the Marine Corps for two years and three months, but was on break at the moment. He loved the water, was from Manhattan, and loved to eat blue food- his favorite being his mom's blue chocolate chip cookies.

He was really sweet, too. He always-

"Hey," he said, shaking me out of my fantasizing. He checked his watch. "Seven-thirty. Should have time for one more thing... ah-ha!"

He jumped up and down and pointed to an arcade game. It was one of those things where you have to use a water gun to shoot water into a hole, and if you fill up the balloon within a certain amount of time, you'd win a prize. "Wanna verse me in that?"

I ignored his bad grammar (I'm kind of a nerd) and said, "It's getting late."

He pouted like a little kid. "Pleeeease, Annabeth?"

I rolled my eyes. "Fineeeeeee, Percy."

He cheered and forked over six dollars to the old lady at behind the counter, who was looking back and forth between us suggestively.

I ignored her and just concentrated on beating him at the water gun game. Because I don't take kindly to losing.

But Percy's "water relaxation feelings" must have extended to total water control, because he filled up the whole balloon before I even filled up half of mine.

I blew a bang out of my hair again and put my hands on my hips. "How the hell did you do that?" I demanded.

It was hard to stay mad at him for long, though, because he was so likable. When the lady asked what prize he wanted, Percy pointed to a giant stuffed panda. "That one!" he exclaimed happily, and I just had to smile at his child-like enthusiasm.

But then, he promptly turned around and handed me the panda.

Isn't that... I don't know... every girl's cliche wish?

Shocked, I hugged the panda to my chest tightly and grinned at Percy. "Thanks," and then, as an afterthought, "Seaweed Brain."

His brow furrowed in that really cute way that only he can manage and he said, "What?"

I laughed as we walked away from the arcade game. "You love the water. And you're stupid. So your brain must be full of seaweed."

He pouted again, and said, "Well, you're a- you- you, you," then his eyes lit up, and he triumphantly said, "You Wise Girl!"

I stared at him. "Isn't that a good thing?"

He thought for a while and then shrugged. "I don't know. But you seem really smart and stuff. So you're "wise" and a girl."

I rolled my eyes and said, "Creative."

"I try."

* * *

**A/N: So...HOW WAS THAT? And also, you don't have to have watched the movie to understand this.**

**REVIEW!**

**-epicsilverbullet**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews, and sorry for the long update time!**

**Just to let you know, I'd never thought of doing The Vow before, but it seems like a good idea. After 21 Jump Street, though, I was planning to start one on The Lucky One. I know it doesn't have the ultra-sexiness of Channing Tatum, but I really liked the plot, I think it would be an extremely fluffy thing to write.**

**I originally started writing this chapter a few hours ago, but I decided to watch Dear John again for "inspiration", meaning I just wanted to see Channing Tatum without a shirt...afsoawnfaoifasno8gairianfsdf ahiamsidnhaoisa**

**Also, the story is going to start to get pretty different from the actual movie now, just so you know.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO or Dear John**

* * *

**Annabeth POV**

I was rudely waken up the next morning by the loud sound of my phone rapping Eminem.

Groaning and muttering a string of profanities under my breath, I groped around for the phone and held it up to my ear. "Who the f-"

"Annabeth?"

OhmygoditsPercy.

Immediately, I leaped out of bed and started straightening my hair and smoothing down my clothes, even though I knew Percy couldn't see me. "Oh, uh, hi!" I stammered into the phone, "What's up?"

"Aren't you wondering how I got your number?"

Romance is dead and Percy just killed it- wait, romance?

I shook my head. "What?"

He sighed. "Thalia gave it to me after- never mind. I was wondering if you wanted to, um..."

He trailed off, stuttering. "Uh, what?" I asked.

He swallowed and choked out, "If you'd like to go out to dinner?"

I almost laughed at that. He was in the Marines, and he was afraid to ask out a girl?

I decided to tease him a bit. "Sure. With who?"

I could imagine him glaring into the phone. "Me, you insufferable little Wise Girl!"

I stifled a laugh and said, "Sure. Where are we going?"

Now I could imagine him grinning at the phone. "That's for me to know and you to not know until we get there. You live next to my _darling_ cousin Thalia, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah, the house right to the left of her's."

"Cool. I'll pick you up at seven, then, okay?"

"Alright, Seaweed Brain. See you then."

We hung up, and for a moment I didn't feel different.

But then, the reality of what just happened hit me like...something that normal people get hit with, because a ton of bricks will kill you.

_Ohmygod,_ I thought, _I have a date. With Thalia's cousin. Thalia's extremely handsome and gorgeous and ripped cousin._

_Who happens to be a Marine._

* * *

**Percy POV (I skipped to when Percy's picking up Annabeth, because I couldn't think of anything else to write in between)  
**

I checked myself in the mirror one more time, cursing my hair for being messy, and slipped out the door, locking it behind me.

I patted down my pockets, checking to make sure I had my phone, wallet, and keys. I did.

During the whole drive to Annabeth's house, I was extremely nervous. Yeah, I had dated girls before, but none quite like Annabeth. Plus, what if it...actually worked out? Would it get screwed up by having to go back into combat again?

Pushing all negative thoughts out of my head, I pulled up to the house next to my _darling_ cousin's, composed myself, and gave three sharp raps on the door.

Immediately, the door opened, and I was greeted with the view of Annabeth, smiling up at me.

She was wearing shorts and a t-shirt, but somehow still managed to look really good. I smiled, "You look great!" I said.

She didn't even try to hide the blush. "Um, t-thanks. You look, ah, great, too."

I took her hand (which made the both of us flush beet red) and led her to my car. When we were seated and I was driving, she asked, "Where to?"

"Like I said. That's for me to know and you to not know until we- ah, here we are!"

I pulled up to the boardwalk, which was bustling with people, and Annabeth stared at me blankly through the warm evening sun. "The boardwalk?"

I shrugged. "Wanted to do something not normal for the first date. You don't really seem like the "dinner and a movie" type person."

She shrugged back. "You'd be right."

We walked along the boardwalk for a while, just talking, until I found a hot dog stand. I handed four bucks to the guy, and, quick as a flash, he handed over two hot dogs.

I gave one to Annabeth. "No complaints," I joked, "This is your dinner, and you'll eat it and like it."

She giggled and took a huge bite out of it, and we resumed walking. "This is a lot better than a "normal" first date," she said after swallowing.

I smiled and popped the last of my hot dog into my mouth. "I'm glad you think so."

After she'd finished her hot dog and we threw away our trash, I found one of those ring toss arcade games.

I looked at her with the puppy dog face that I knew she couldn't resist (or, at least, that other girls I'd dated couldn't resist). "Pleeeease can we play this?"

She rolled her eyes. "Fine. But when I win, I'm not going to give you the stuffed animal."

The way it turned out, she did end up winning, and she hugged the giant teddy bear to her chest as we resumed our walk and I muttered angrily under my breath about psychotic women.

We talked for a while, and I bought two vanilla soft-serves for us on our way back to the car.

Just as we finished our ice creams, we got to the car, and I was feeling pretty good about our first date.

Until I saw that Luke Castellan and two other guys were sitting on the hood of my car, waiting for us.

* * *

Annabeth and I stopped dead in our tracks as Luke, grinning evilly, walked up to us. "My, my..." he said, and if he was a villain in a movie, he'd be stroking his beard, "What do we have here?"

The three goons laughed at that, though I didn't see what was so funny.

I held an arm out in front of Annabeth. "Stay back," I commanded, and when she was about to protest, I said, "Luke's got a history of...making girls do things they don't want to do."

Annabeth eyes widened in fear at that, and she slowly shrank back. Luke chuckled. "Why don't you just say it, Percy?" he said, "When I want a girl, I get her. And I _really, really_..." he let the sentence trail off as he stepped close to Annabeth, putting his hand on her waist.

I stepped forwards as Annabeth let out a shriek of fear and backed up to a wooden pole supporting the boardwalk. "Luke, quit it!" I commanded.

He just chuckled again and moved his hand down to the waistline of her shorts, and that's when I snapped.

I walked up to Luke and threw his arm off her. "Get your hands off her," I said in a fierce tone.

He laughed. "Or what?"

His two cronies then came up and tried to grab my arms, but I shook them off, trying to keep Luke away from Annabeth. "Let her go, she hasn't done anything wrong!"

Luke took a step closer to her, tracing her face with his hand. "You're right, Percy. She hasn't done anything wrong, unless you count being _sooo_ desirable..." Annabeth let out a small, scared whimper, and I grabbed Luke's shoulder, throwing him off her.

Luke turned to me, murder in his eyes, and said, "I can't f- continue with this one here. Take care of him," he commanded to the two cronies.

They stepped forwards and one of them grabbed my arm again, but I shook it off again. "Why don't you get your hands off of me?" **(A/N: For some reason, that was one of my favorite lines of the movie.)**

He followed that up by trying to punch me, and I knew that I was a trained soldier and could seriously hurt them, but they were threatening Annabeth. I had no choice, so I ducked his right hook and gave him an uppercut to the face, and he went down hard.

The other guy came up to me, and I saw that Luke was going for Annabeth. I knew I had to protect her, but there was the slight sumo wrestler hell bent on killing me that kind of overshadowed that...

I quickly sidestepped the guy and tripped him, sending him sprawling into Luke, who gave out a yelp of surprise as they fell to the ground a few feet in front of Annabeth.

Annabeth was still frozen with fear against the pole, so I carried her and the teddy bear, bridal style, and ran to the car, setting her gently down in the seat and driving away, ignoring the curses of Luke and his goons back at the beach.

After a few seconds, I got up the nerve to look at Annabeth, and my heart just shattered when I saw her.

Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and she had brought her arms around her legs, hugging them to her chest and clutching the teddy bear, too, and the slow, quiet sound of her weeping was what drove me over the edge.

I pulled up into her driveway and leaped out of the car, running over to the other side and opening the door for Annabeth.

She got out shakily, and I drew her to me quickly in an embrace, stroking her hair and whispering things like, "It's okay," and "You're fine now," into her ear. Even though she was almost raped.

After a few minutes of us standing out there in the driveway, she seemed to have calmed down enough to talk. "T- thank you, P-p-percy," she said.

I didn't answer. I knew what she needed, so I grabbed her hand and led her around her house and to the beach. She must have been a little confused, but decided to roll with it.

We found a nice spot on the beach, where we could listen to the peaceful sound of the crashing waves and look up at an unobstructed view of the moon and the stars.

After a few minutes, I did the cliche yawn-and-put-arm-around-shoulders thing and drew her closer to me, but she didn't seem to mind. "You know," I said, "The beach- water, in general...it just seems to be the only place I can chill. The only place I feel...free, like I can be myself."

That must have sounded like the corniest thing in the world, but she just nodded and leaned her head on my shoulder. "I guess I know how you feel," she said. Then, on a different note, "Full moon tonight," she said, pointing up, "It looks...bigger than usual today, brighter, even."

I chuckled and held out my thumb so it was covering the moon. "Actually, it doesn't matter where you are in the world, the moon's never bigger than your thumb."

She knit her eyebrows in confusion and in an _extremely_ cute way, but held up her thumb- and voila, the moon was smaller.

We stayed outside for a few more minutes until I checked my watch and saw that it was late.

I stood up, brushing the sand off my shorts and holding out a hand to her. "Gotta get you home," I said, "It's getting late."

She grabbed my hand and hoisted herself up, leaning her head on my shoulder again as we walked back to her house. "I had fun, Percy," she said, "And I still can't thank you enough for saving me from...Luke."

I nodded gravely. "He's one to stay away from- gets into all kinds of trouble. I can't imagine how you must have felt."

She gave a small smile as we reached her doorway, and leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. "Thanks again. Tonight was great," she said before going inside.

I reached up and touched the spot on my cheek where she kissed me.

_Damn._

* * *

**A/N: It is pretty different from the movie...but I kind of like it this way, I hated how Savannah married Tim...HOW THE HELL COULD SHE RESIST CHANNING TATUM? HOW?!**

**Remember how I was telling you about how I was going to do "The Lucky One?" I'll give you the summary, in case you want to know:**

Percy Jackson, a US Marine, finds a picture of a woman while in combat in Iraq, and claims her to be his guardian angel, as he believes that it was because of her picture that he survived two ambushes. Now, upon returning home, he vows to find this woman, his guardian angel.

**When I saw the movie, I thought it would be an interesting PJO story to do, because of all the fluff in it. Look out for that after I finish 21 Jump Street.**

**Anyways, REVIEW!**

**-epicsiilverbullet**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry for not updating this in a while- I'm reaching the good part in 21 Jump Street, and, also, I looked over all of my stories last ni****ght and I realized that the first few I wrote SUCKED, so I'm going to reserve one whole day where I edit them all. Until then, here's the third chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO or Dear John**

* * *

**Annabeth POV**

Two weeks.

Two weeks with him. That's how long it took for me to fall for him.

We'd gone out at some point of the day, every day for the past two weeks. We went to the boardwalk four times, saw three movies, and went to dinner a lot.

And we had our first kiss exactly one week ago.

I don't know what we were, in terms of..."us". He'd never officially asked me to be his girlfriend... but we kinda implied that.

So I was Annabeth Chase, Percy Jackson's girlfriend.

I know that the kiss on the cheek after the date two weeks ago might have seemed like it was going too fast- but, there was this feeling inside of me, and that feeling was so...right.

When I was seven years old and in kindergarten, I remember coming home one day to my mom watching TV

_Flashback_

_I bounded up the steps of my apartment and knocked on the door, and, soon enough, my mommy opened it._

_She was really pretty- she had princess hair like me, and eyes that looked like those big gray marshmallows in the sky, when the sky is mad._

_"Mommy!" I yelled, jumping up into her arms._

_She laughed and picked me up, carrying me into the apartment and closing the door behind her._

_She took off my backpack and shoes, and then set me on the couch and started to tickle me. _

_"NO!" I cried, shaking with laughter, "Mommy...stop...tickles...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"_

_She grinned and flipped me over onto her lap, and then said, "How was your day at school, Annie-Beth?"_

_I crossed my arms and glared at her. "Mommy, you should know that my name is Annabeth."_

_"Oh!" she said, eyes widening, "I forgot. Sorry, Annabeth."_

_Mommy can be so forgetful sometimes. _

_"Something cool happened in school!" I said._

_"Oh? What happened?"_

_"I got a boyfriend!"_

_Mommy did her slanty eyebrows face that looks scary. "Now, Annabeth," she said, "You're seven years old, you shouldn't be worrying about boys!"_

_I shook my head. Mommy doesn't get these kinds of things. "No, mommy! He hugged Miranda Stewart, and the he hugged Stacy Reinhart- but then he hugged me last! Which means that he's my boyfriend!"_

_"And why did he hug you last?"_

_"Because the bell rang and he had to leave."_

_Mommy sighed and closed her eyes. I closed mine, too, but saw nothing but darkness. I frowned. Mommy would have to explain to me later._

_"Annabeth," she asked, "Tell me- when the boy hugged you-"_

_"His name is Luke," I said, still trying to figure out about the darkness when you close your eyes._

_"When Luke hugged you, did you feel something like electricity run through your body?"_

_Grownups can be so stupid sometimes!_

_"No Mommy," I sighed, "Because that would kill you."_

_She chuckled. "I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about the good kind. The kind that feels...right."_

_All thoughts of darkness forgotten, I looked up at her. "What do you mean?"_

_"You'll get this...feeling," said Mommy, "I can't describe it, it will just feel good. And when you get that feeling, you'll know that the boy will be the one."_

_I looked down and pouted. "It didn't feel right when Luke hugged me. It just felt like a hug- like what you or Daddy would give me."_

_She nodded. "That means that Luke isn't the one. But don't worry, you'll soon find him."_

_End Flashback_

There are two reasons why I remember that. The first is- two days later, her subway train crashed and she was killed.

And the second is, that two years after she was killed, my father remarried.

I remember that me, still a child, was outraged at my dad for remarrying. My mom had told me that both her and my dad had the feeling of it being "right" when they met, and my mom said that my dad was "the one". Well, if my dad knew my mom was "the one", then how could he remarry?

How could he?

I ran away when I was seven, all the way to my aunt's house here in Florida. I couldn't take it any more- the final straw was when my dad had twins with my stepmom, then I knew- or, at least, I thought I knew that he didn't love my mom, and I couldn't stand it. So I left.

I never saw my family after that day, I never even got to see my twin stepbrothers being born. Not to mention that, yes, I did have an evil stepmother.

Anyways, I was, for some reason, thinking about it two weeks after that first date with Percy, after... we met Luke.

I woke up that morning, bleary-eyed, and I could immediately feel something different.

I put all the pieces together in my head... my mom telling me when I'll find "the one"...me meeting Percy...feeling something different in the air...

How could I be so stupid? Percy was "the one."

I leaped out of bed, throwing on shorts and a t-shirt and slipping my feet in some sandals.

I picked up my phone and scrolled through my contacts. "Percy...percy...ah! Percy!"

But, the second before I called him- my phone rang.

And it was him.

I guess we both had something to say.

I picked up. "Hello?"

"Meet my at my house in five minutes." And then he hung up.

I put the phone down slowly.

Percy never did that...whatever he wanted to tell me, it must be really bad.

Nevertheless, I was curious. So, I grabbed my car keys and sped over to his house, reaching there in three minutes and thirty-two seconds.

I walked up his driveway to his door and rang the doorbell, and Percy opened it. "Come on in," he said.

I cautiously walked inside the house as he closed the door, and as soon as he did, I noticed something different about him.

Two weeks ago, I never would have known something was wrong, if I'd just walked down the street and seen his face. But today... He looked terrible, like he hadn't gotten a wink of sleep last night. His green eyes didn't have the sparkle they usually did, and he didn't have the trademark Percy grin that, cheesy as it sounds, made my heart do a little tap-dance in my chest.

"What's wrong?" I said, immediately getting to the point.

He sighed and motioned for me to follow him. "Come on in to the living room."

I cautiously followed him into the living room, and when we reached, he grabbed me around the waist and kissed me for all he was worth.

Of course I kissed him back, but something about this felt...different. Usually his kisses were "Annabeth-I'm-so-glad-you're-here-and-I-want-to-enjoy-my-time-with-you." But today, it was more like, "I'm-afraid-I'm-going-to-lose-you."

I pulled back, and he still looked worried. I looked into his eyes. "What happened?"

He sighed and we sat down on the couch. "I have to go back."

At first, I didn't get it. "Back...where?"

He leaned back against the couch. "I've got a combat mission in Iraq."

His words hit me like a ton of bricks. "So...just like that? You're leaving?"

He nodded. "Tomorrow."

I sighed and grabbed his hand, kissing him softly on the cheek. "What are you going to do about it? You can't _not_ go, I wouldn't let you do that for me."

He sighed again. "I don't know- I just..." he paused for a second before continuing, "...ever since I was born, especially when I was in high school and my dad went to Afghanistan and never came back...I've always felt this...sensation. Like I have to do it."

I nodded. "You have to go."

He nodded. "Yeah," and then the tears started to come. Slow, but they were present on both of our faces.

I wiped my face and brushed the tears off of Percy's chin, waiting until both of our tears had stopped coming. "How long will it be?"

"Eight months, at least."

I tried to smile. "But that's a lot shorter than what some other people have to go through. We'll live through it!"

Percy gave me a look. "A soldier can die any minute in Iraq."_  
_

"Don't say-"

"You know it's true!" Percy yelled, and it was the first time since I'd met him that I felt his temper rise.

I glared at him. "Well, then, what are you saying?"

"You know what I'm saying!"

I stood up and looked down at him. "Are you saying we should break up? Because-"

"We never were together," said Percy, gritting his teeth.

I think both of us knew it was the wrong thing to say at exactly the wrong time.

Blinking back a new onset of tears, I turned to leave. "Then I guess this is it." I took two steps when I felt a hand close around my wrist.

"Annabeth, wait."

And his voice sounded so heartbroken that I just had to agree.

I turned around to notice that, once again, both of our faces were covered in tears. "Look, I don't- I just, all I know is that I want to stay here, with you, as long as I possibly can!" **(love that line also!) **And I could tell by the sound of his voice and the look in his eyes that he was sincere.

I stepped close to him, and, once again, brushed off his tears, and a sense of forgiveness passed from me to him.

Then, I kissed him.

He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer, and, like some kind of practiced religion or something, I tangled my fingers in his hair.

Then it started to get more deep. He carried me over to the couch and I ripped his shirt off. We pulled away for a second to catch our breath, when he looked at me. "We shouldn't."

"You'll need something to remember me by, for the next eight months."

He sighed, "I just- I've got to leave tonight to get there by tomorrow-"

I silenced him by placing a finger on his lips. "Hey," I said, "Just chill. You'll need it, and you can't tell me you don't want to."

He groaned but grinned at me, for the first time today. "I guess I can't argue with a- with a Wise Girl."

He dived on top of me and kissed me again, and when we pulled back for a breath for the second time, I raised an eyebrow. "Wise Girl?"

"You're wise. And a girl."

"Figures. That's all I can expect from someone with your mental capacity."

Thirty minutes later, we were sitting side by side on his bed, fully clothed.

I turned to him. "That was nice, but we still haven't resolved one problem. How are we going to communicate while you're away."

That seemed to be the one issue he had. "No phones..." he said slowly, "Or email. Or Skype, or anything electronic."

"So letters."

He nodded slowly. "That'll work."

I grinned and kissed him one more time. "Now, come on," I said, "I gotta help you pack."

* * *

**That night...**

_"Flight 37215 departing from Gate 14B is now leaving for Baghdad, Iraq. I repeat, Flight 37215 is now departing from Gate 14B to Baghdad, Iraq."_

I blinked back tears as I walked with Percy, in his combat fatigues, to the gate. "So...sixteen hours?"

He nodded, and I could tell he was just as upset as I was. "Yup. I'll write you once a week. We'll tell each other _everything_, okay?"

I nodded as we got to the tunnel that led to the plane and Percy handed his boarding card to the flight attendant. A lot of other soldiers, I could see, were saying their goodbyes to their loved ones, not knowing if it would be their last.

Teeth chattering in the coolness of the air-conditioned airport, I turned to Percy. "I guess...this is it?"

"Yup."

And with that, he dropped his bags on the floor and drew me in for a kiss, not long, because he had to leave. But still- he gave it everything he had, all he was worth, and I did, too.

We both had tears in our eyes as we pulled apart, and I threw my arms around his neck and gave him one last hug as he picked up his bags. "I love you," I whispered in his ear.

"I love you, too," he whispered back, kissing the top of my head.

Then he was gone.

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**A/N: Wow, that was...way too fluffy, I think. **

**Well, they said their "I love you's", and now the chapters are going to take on a different format. And, for all you perverts out there- that's as far as it's going to go, I'm not going to ruin my reputation by putting lemons (shudder) in my story.**

**Anyways, sorry for the long update time, and REVIEW!**

**-epicsilverbullet**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hi, fellow fanfictioners!**

**So this is the chapter in which the letters start, and I just wanted to say that the letters will have nothing to do with how they made the letters in the movie, I changed them so it would be less OOC._  
_**

**If you're following my story "21 Jump Street", I probably won't get the chance to update today, but I _might_ do it tomorrow, except my parents signed me up for a two and a half hour tennis practice every sunday for the next eight weeks (even though I already do tennis twice a week and I do basketball twice a week), and it's happening during my prime updating time (1PM-4PM) so...updates will come, just with irregular times.**

**Anyways, here's chapter three of "Dear Percy"! Enjoy! R&R, maybe?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO or Dear John**

* * *

**Day seven. Letter number one.**

**Percy POV**

_"Did you like the movie?" I asked Annabeth as we walked out of the movie theater, in the midst of the throng of people who had made the trip to see the premiere of "The Watch."_

_She nodded and rested her head on my shoulder as we made our way to my car. "Ben Stiller and Jonah Hill were awesome. Vince Vaughn was okay...ish. That dude with the afro had a cool accent, though."_

_I chuckled and put on the guy's accent during one of the scenes. "I have a certain...scenario in mind. Sexy chinese lady, alone at night, and then...she sucks my-"_

_Annabeth punched me in the arm. "Like I'd do that to you."_

_My cheeks flushed bright red and I jerked my arm back, stuffing my hands in my pockets. "Sorry," I said in mock shame._

_She giggled. "It's-" and then stopped straight. "Dammit."_

_My head snapped up to attention, since I'd never heard Annabeth curse (even though she probably had a world of colorful language stored up in that wise brain of hers). "Hell."_

_Luke and five other guys were lounging on the hood of my car (again) bottles of Sam Adams in their hands._

_Deja vu, much?_

_I groaned and pushed Annabeth towards a Ben and Jerry's. "Get us some ice cream, okay?" I said, pushing a twenty into her hands, "I'll deal with these guys."_

_She bit her lip (in a really cute way) and said, "But- there's five of them, and-"_

_I put my hands on her shoulders and stared into her eyes. "I'm a Marine. I'm paid to do this."_

_"To the Taliban! Not to ordinary citizens!"_

_I took a step back and ran my left hand through my hair. "Fine," I said, "I won't hurt them. Just...scare them off."_

_She looked at me skeptically, and I knew I didn't have her fooled. She knew that, for guys, "hurt" and "scare off" meant the same thing, but she took the bill and went into the store. _

_I turned back to the five guys on the hood and said, "You guys again?"_

_Staggering and tripping, obviously too drunk to see or think straight, Luke and the other four got off (or, in some cases, fell off) my car and walked up to stand in front of me. Luke giggled and leaned against a shopping cart for support. "I'll get her, Percy! I'll- hic- you won't have a chance! And we're going to kill you! Now!"_

_I looked around and smirked. "Luke, you're all too drunk to even walk straight. And plus- this is a shopping mall. There's lots of people-"_

_I was cut off by Luke's fist swinging towards me. I ducked and took a step back, remembering my promise to Annabeth to not hurt them._

_Soon enough, though, they had me surrounded, and I almost gagged at the overwhelming stench of alcohol._

_It must have been hard to give an evil laugh when you're in a mall parking lot and so drunk you can't even count the fingers on your right hand, but Luke gave it his best shot._

_He cracked his knuckles and walked over to me. "Ready to die, Perseus Jackson?"_

_That did it._

_That's what my dad called me before- just before he..._

_Fast as lightning, I brought my fist up, and it connected with Luke's chin, sending him flying back._

_But then the rest of the pack closed around me. _

_I saw Annabeth come out of the store, eyes widening, and I sent her a message with my eyes. STAY AWAY! STAY AWAY!_

_But she did something even more awesome._

_She chucked the ice cream cones into the crowd with impeccable aim._

_Like a scene from a Scooby-Doo show, the ice creams landed, cone side up, on the faces of two of the guys, so they looked like party hats._

_They gasped and stopped at the cold shock (plus, sticky juice flowing into your eyes probably didn't feel to hot either) and I took that opportunity to deck them both, using Luke's unconscious frame as a vaulting platform, leaping directly over the Mercedes to my right, and landing, in a crouch, right next to Annabeth._

_Breathing hard, I stood up and looked at Annabeth. "Car?"_

_"Car."_

_We took off at a mad sprint to my car, not bothering with little things like seat belts as we sped away from the mall and the two of Luke's cronies who were still conscious._

_Instead of going directly home, I took a little detour, taking Annabeth to the park I went to when I was a little kid. She didn't question- just went with it as I got out of the car and slammed the door shut._

_She looked over at me. "What's this?"_

_"The park I went to when I was a kid," I said, and I caught something in her eyes- longing? Like she'd never had that experience?_

_It soon passed, though, so the two of us approached the park. _

_But, as if the Greek god of the skies, Zeus, was hell bent on screwing up our day, the skies opened up and rain started to pour down._

_Instead of letting it ruin things, though, I instead grabbed Annabeth's hand and and tore down the park to a spot under the jungle gym where we could be sheltered from the passing cloudburst._

_We grabbed on to opposite sides of this one pole and caught our breath, shaking the few droplets of rain from our heads that we'd acquired on the way._

_She looked at me and grinned. "Some place."_

_"Yeah." I said, but I think she noticed that I wasn't really paying attention, that I was thinking about Luke._

_"Why..." she started, "...why do you hate Luke so much?"_

_My gaze hardened. "I told you. He was a dick to me in high school, and I-"_

_She put a finger on my lips, silencing me. "You know what I mean."_

_I sighed and looked at her. "It's because I thought- well, I thought...you...him...you and him...he would..."_

_She smiled and looked down at the ground. "It's okay. I know what you mean."_

_Even I wasn't sure what I meant, but we stood in comfortable silence for a while, looking at the rain, which was strangely peaceful. _

_"You know..." she said after a few minutes, "Do you know how you come off as to people?"_

_I blinked. "What?"_

_She sighed, "You...you scare them. They feel intimidated by you."_

_"What?"_

_She sighed again. "Think about it, Percy! You're in the Marines, you have a reputation as someone who punches people they don't like-" Where did she get that from?, "- you scare people."_

_I chuckled. "Well, you scare me." _**(love this line, also!)**

_"Nice one."_

_"No, I mean it."_

_She must have heard sincerity in my voice, because her eyes met mine. "What...are you saying?"_

_I rubbed the back of my neck nervously. "Well, it's- I just feel...different. Around you. Different from how I feel around..."_

_I noticed that our faces were getting closer. Still holding onto one of the jungle gym support poles, I leaned my head across, closer to Annabeth's. She hesitated for a second, and then she crashed her lips to mine, and we stood there, kissing in the rain, first kiss for the both of us, like in some cheesy-_

"Wake up, god dammit, cuz! You're in a place where you could die any freaking second!"

Startled out of my flashback/daydream, I looked up to see the smirking face of Nico di Angelo, one of the other Marines in my squad. And my cousin. "I- I was just-"

He held up a hand, smirking. "Just don't do it again." He handed me a letter. "This is for you."

I thanked him and waited until he walked away before I ducked inside my tent, zipping the flap shut.

I sat on the sleeping bag in my one-person hovel- at least, in what would be my one-person hovel for the next eight months.

Illuminated by the soft, golden glow of the lantern (which reminded me of Annabeth's lemon-scented princess curls), and, feeling very poetic, I shakily tore the envelope open and brought out the letter in anticipation.

_Dear Percy,_

_It's difficult for me to know that this is how we'll have to talk for the next eight months. It's hard, writing to you, communicating with you- when I can't see your face._

_But I'm going to make it work, and if you can't, then I'll come over to Iraq and knock some sense into you._

_On a more serious note, it's not...a bad arrangement. At least we can still talk, it's not like..you're dead, or dying, or anything..._

I could see the wet tears spots that dotted the page, and I blinked back a few of my mine at the thought of Annabeth, crying while sitting and writing that. I read on.

_Seaweed Brain- I'm just pouring out my feelings, here, but you told me to tell you everything that went on, so...here goes._

_There's a full moon tonight, which reminds me of you- I'm smiling now, and I'm remembering when we went out to dinner and you told me that the moon is no bigger than your thumb- every night, I sit on the beach and hold out my thumb, but the moon's never been bigger. I guess you can be right about some things, some times._

_I went online before writing this, and I found out that it'll take a week for letters to get from Florida to Iraq, so letters should be equally spaced apart. If I don't get a reply exactly two weeks from now (one for it to get there, one for it to come back), then I swear I'll hop a friggin fighter plane and cut off your balls in your sleep._

I shuddered at the thought, but couldn't help smiling at Annabeth's awesomeness. One of a kind, definitely.

_Thalia and I have started to hang out a lot more in the past two weeks, and I thought that she felt left out when she saw you and I together. _

_Turns out that she'd been going out, too, with some guy named Apollo. You ever heard of him? Apparently, he was in your and Thalia's sophomore Drama class, and they've been going out for three years. Learn something new every day._

_Oh, and speaking of learn something new- I found out by walking in on them grinding in Thalia's living room._

I think I threw up a little in my mouth at that, but swallowed it down and kept reading.

_Hehe. Did I make you throw up yet?_

_Not much else has been going on. Life around here has been pretty boring for me- at least, without you it has._

_If you really want to know everything that happened in the one day that you've been gone (i'm writing this the day after you left) I went shopping for clothes and Thalia and I hit the beach in the evening. That's about it._

_Oh, by the way- remember our first date? When you told me you worked as a marine biologist and I told you I was an architect?_

_Well...I GOT A NEW OFFER TO DESIGN A BUILDING IN MIAMI! EEEEP!_

_I'm just so happy right now, Percy! It's a modern contemporary high-rise, and I've got practically an unlimited budget and work force to do it! I'm in heaven!_

_The building I have in mind is going to be really cool. I'm going to use criscrossed and angled beams to take the force of the fifty second floor off of the load-bearing joints, so the building will be..._

I trailed off there, skipping the long paragraph about architecture.

_...So that's it, then. I'm breaking up with you and I never want to see you again. Goodbye forever, Percy._

HOLY SHIT!

Hurriedly, I forced myself to read through the whole paragraph, thinking, _No, no, this cannot be happening!_ But the whole thing was just a rant on architecture.

I read the next line after the breaking-up one.

_HA! I can totally imagine your face right now! I bet you skipped through that whol entire friggin paragraph! Priceless!_

_Unless you're too stupid to figure it out, I'm kidding. I'd never break up with you. Ever. Get that through your thick skull._

I gave out a sigh of relief and continued reading.

_Well, it's getting late and I've got to be up bright and early tomorrow to start the blueprints._

_Until we see each other again, I've got a request from you- write all the letters in pen, and don't scribble anything out. I want to know exactly what's going on, not an edited or a watered-down BS version, okay? I don't need that crap from you._

_Sorry, I'm just in a bad mood. I'm watching the part of The Deathly Hallows part ll where Dobby dies. _

_Anyways, I'll hold you to your oath. Don't try to sugarcoat it for my sake, you idiot. Don't do it._

_Also, tell me everything that's going on there, and write back as soon as possible. It's definitely difficult for me to be away from you for so long, but we can make it work. I know you can._

_With Love,_

_Annabeth _

I finished reading the letter and put the paper down, letting the relishing feel of her words wash over me.

I was getting overwhelmed with emotions now...let me put it in perspective.

Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston.

Who are they? Well, they're iconic role model figures for America. Both of them died of drug overdose, both of them died a while back, and some people are _still_ only just recovering.

On another note, the day I got here, they were putting Captain Jameson in a body bag. His squadron got ambushed and he sacrificed himself for them. Apparently, he was shot twelve times, never stood a chance.

Who's in tears now? At the moment, only his wife and twin girls. Both of them are two, and they've never even met his father.

The point is, America mourns the death of people who sing on stage for longer than they mourn the death of those who give up their lives so that they can watch those people sing on stage.

Soldiers...don't only fight for their country. They fight for themselves and their families, and the only thing that can possibly justify killing someone is the fact that, maybe, just maybe, you'll live to see your wife. Your girlfriend. Your kids.

The other point is, soldiers feel unappreciated. Like no one gives a shit.

But this...this is something else.

To receive a letter, or a package, or...something. Anything, to know that someone out there, away from this cruel part of the world cares for you- that's the absolute best feeling in the world.

That's why the letter from Annabeth meant so much to me- not just what she's saying, but the fact that she's saying anything, that, in and of itself, is enough, because then you know that someone cares about what happens to you, and you aren't alone, dying for a country that doesn't care.

I snapped out of my thoughts and looked down at the letter. She specifically requested that I write in pen...

I shrugged and grabbed a pen and stationary from my pack. I carefully set aside Annabeth's letter and envelope, and set to work writing my own letter back.

_Dear Wise Girl..._

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**A/N: That came out longer than I thought, but I thought it turned out relatively okay. Reviews would be nice!**

**IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT!**

**One thing that was stressed in this chapter by Percy is that soldiers don't get the respect they deserve. They fight for the USA, to make sure that it's safe for us to go outside every day, to make sure that we're free. And how do we repay them?**

**By paying attention to things like Jersey Shore and American Idol.**

**What I'm trying to say is this: treat soldiers with respect if you don't already. Write a letter to them- it will definitely make a difference. There's websites you can go on that'll tell you where to send a letter or an email, and then they'll redirect it to the soldiers. **

**I know that just a letter or an email doesn't seem like much, but it can really change a soldier's life. Don't forget about it!**

**-epicsilverbullet**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry for not updating in a while! I just had really bad writer's block, and I would write out this chapter only to delete it for not being good enough.**

**Anyways, review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO or Dear John**

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**DAY TWENTY-ONE. LETTER NUMBER TWO.**

**Annabeth POV**

I paced in the foyer of my house, lifting the curtain covering the window every five seconds to see if the mail truck had come.

It wasn't as if I didn't trust Percy, it was just...something. A feeling, I guess. Like, somehow, even though I'd grown inseparably close to Percy, I'd only really known him for two weeks. Could I really trust him to stay faithful to me? Could I really count on him to-

Thankfully, my confused thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of the mail truck, and I rushed outside to grab the envelope before the guy could even put it in my mailbox. He raised an eyebrow, and I managed to stutter out, "Oh, um- I was...I was, uh, expecting something," my face flushed as red as it can get.

Inside the safety and privacy of my house, I opened up Percy's letter and began to read...

_Dear Wise Girl,_

_Yeah, I know it's going to be hard to write to each other like this. But I'm definitely going to try- more out of fear that you'll come to Iraq and chop my balls off than anything else._

_Hehe. Just kidding._

I rolled my eyes and kept reading.

_There isn't a full moon today, but it is raining, which reminds me of you and I...you know. Kissing. Under the rain._

_Not many other connections today. It's pretty lonely out here, even though I've got a lot of friends with me. Like, some of these guys I've been fighting with since we were nineteen. One of them is my cousin, Nico. But still, I know it might sound cheesy, but...it isn't the same here without you._

_I'm definitely going to write you the minute I get your letters- I don't care if weapons of mass destruction appear two feet away from me, I'll write you back before I do anything else._

_You and Thalia are like homegirls now, huh? Great. Absolutely fantastic. To me, you guys are equally terrifying. I think I told you that once._

_Her and Apollo? Really? In Drama, he'd always bug the teacher to do a Shakespeare, because there's lots of poetry in Shakespeare. He was a nerd back in high school- liked poetry, wanted to study medicine at Harvard when he went to college- ask Thalia for a picture of him and send it to me. I need to see what he looks like now. Gosh, I haven't spoken to the guy in a while._

I made a mental note to comply with his request and kept on reading.

_What's stupid about the army (besides the fact that they started the war in Iraq) is that we've only got thirty minutes to write letters back home- at least, I've got thirty minutes until I have to go on patrol. So I guess I'd better write faster._

_Yes, you did make me throw up when you told me how you found out about Thalia and Apollo, but I'm really happy for you, what with the new building you got to design! I'll admit, I skipped the whole rant on architecture you included there-_

I rolled my eyes again. Typical male!

_-but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate it and be happy for you, with the new job you got. So tell me- how long will the building take? Maybe I'll be able to come back before it's done and see you work on it!_

_I realize I haven't told you much about what's happening around here, so...here goes._

_As soon as I stepped off the plane, I was greeted by some guys dragging Captain Jameson, in a body bag, into another plane, to be shipped home. Apparently, his squadron was ambushed on the walk from the plane to camp (you can't very well land a plane inside the camp, after all. There's about a quarter-mile walk) and he sacrificed himself so that the rest of his squad could make it to the base._

_If our plane hadn't gotten delayed for an hour to fill up the tank, that could very well have been me._

I stopped reading for a while. To think.

That didn't make me cry; it did, however, give me a reason to worry more than I was worrying before. What really were the chances of seeing Percy ever again? Were there any?

I picked up the letter and read the rest of it, eager to rid myself of all depressing thoughts.

_You told me not to sugarcoat anything, so I didn't._

_Other than that, nothing much happens. Everyday, I wake up, have breakfast, do two hours of patrol, train, have lunch, get an hour of free time, do two hours of patrol, more training, then dinner, then bed._

_It isn't as boring and monotonous as it sounds- there isn't time for that in war._

For some reason, that line struck me deep inside, and I swallowed hard before continuing.

_We've all got wives or girlfriends back home that we write to during our free time- that's how everyone here spends free time. One day, they write to their wife. The next, maybe their parents. Then their brother. Me, I've only got you, so I only write once every two weeks._

_Life, although not boring in the least (there's something...not boring about knowing you can die any second), isn't that interesting either. Four days ago, I was assigned to a scouting mission, but that was just to make sure that we weren't getting bored out of our minds with doing nothing. That was the only real form of entertainment we've had since I arrived._

_ Looks like, thankfully, we're getting low hostile activity. If this keeps up, I'll be able to come home early. Maybe even in two or three months?_

_Well, it's time for me to go on patrol now. Write back as soon as you get this, and I'll come home the first opportunity I get!_

_With love,_

_Seaweed Brain_

Blinking back tears of happiness (though I wasn't sure what I was so darned happy about), I got a piece of loose leaf paper and a pen, and, after testing the ink to make sure it would show up, I started to write.

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**A/N: Again, sorry for the long update time. And, just so you know, the chapter won't stay like this for a while- there will be other things, not just letter exchanging. **

**Anyways, reviews would be greatly appreciated!**

**-epicsilverbullet**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I'm thinking not too many more chapters to this story...the plot will start to thicken in this chapter!**

**Reviews would be greatly appreciated!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO**

* * *

**Percy POV**

Breathing hard, I wiped the sweat and grime off of my face as I tossed my combat fatigues into the laundry pile and accepted the letter from the Sargent. After a quick, tired salute, I staggered back to my tent and collapsed on top of the sleeping bag, guzzling a whole bottle of water and waiting to catch my breath before ripping open the letter.

Patrol had gone quite interestingly this morning, causing our whole squad to miss lunch and training. We'd sort of let our guard down over the past few days (note to self: _never_ do that again), and some Iraqi rebels closed in on us from all sides.

It was an extremely bloody, profane massacre. None of our troops died, but...I just don't like to talk about the war. You can tell me about preserving my country's honor, about how dying for my country is every man's dream- but at the end of the day, you fight to live to see another sunrise, to possible get back to the ones you love.

Fighting in the field makes me very reflective.

It was sunny outside and I wasn't too hungry, so I opened the tent flap to let in some natural sunlight, skipping lunch to read the letter from Annabeth and write one back to her.

_Dear Seaweed Brain,_

_I'm catching onto these nicknames now...you'd better watch out!_

_I couldn't get my hands on a picture of Apollo. Thalia got defensive and took it in completely the wrong way, getting all mad at me and stuff. It was like she almost forgot you existed, which should make you feel very...loved._

Haha. Yeah, it did. Of course it did.

_I _really_ miss you, Percy. Hell if I care about being cheesy or corny- its the truth._

_It's really hard with you not here- you know all those times I said I didn't need you to protect me? I actually do. It's kind of a long story, so..._

_When I was young, like five or so, my mom left my dad. We were actually not doing too bad by ourselves, but then he remarried to this evil bitch. She already had two twins of her own, and every time something went wrong- like one of them spilled water, or the lightbulb burned out- she'd find a way to blame me for it, even if it wasn't my fault. I hated her for that._

_Eventually, it got so bad I had to leave. I stayed with my uncle and aunt from when I was seven till...well, basically until college. I didn't see my dad, stepmom, or twin brothers any time until then. I've never even heard from them._

I'll admit, it was hard to take that all in. Annabeth was a strong person, and I never thought that inside, she was bottling in all of _that._

_How does this relate to you protecting me? Well, I've always had to fend for myself. Even when I was with my aunt and uncle, I was my own helper. And those two weeks I had you- I finally felt like someone could take the burden off my back. It was a good feeling, and it contributed to me...falling for you._

_Another thing about this- I ran into Luke today._

Subconsciously, my hands tightened around the paper.

_He was alone, which was kind of worse. He made all these catcalls, said some... some things. I don't really want to talk about them. If you were there, you probably would have decked him. And if I tell you what he said, you'll probably hijack a plane back home and deck him. And as much as I hate Luke, that won't solve anything, nor will it be good for or help anyone._

I couldn't deny that I definitely would have decked Luke if I knew what he said to Annabeth. It was probably for the better that I was left in the dark.

_Anyways, that incident really made me wish, more than I ever did, that you were here. Right next to me._

_Two or three more months, eh? That would be awesome! I would absolutely _love_ that!_

_Nothing much has been going on here. That's mainly because work is usually slow this time of the year, and the huge project wasn't started because the shipment of materials was delayed in China._

_This is random, but doesn't it seem like everything is made in China these days?_

It _was_ random, but it was definitely true. And plus, I wouldn't be one to talk- that was her ADHD speaking, and I had it, too- it sometimes makes a person do weird things.

_What did you mean about you just having me? Wouldn't you write to your mom or dad, too?_

_Anyways, tell me _everything! _Don't leave anything out, Seaweed Brain! This is the only way we'll be able to talk for (hopefully) the next two or three months, so we have to make it count._

_Love, _

_Annabeth_

Immediately after I put the letter down, I rummaged around in my backpack for a piece of paper, took a pen out of my pocket, and started to write.

_Dear Wise Girl..._

I'm pretty sure that some of my squad members poked their heads into the tent to see where the hell I was, but they must not have said anything. I wouldn't have cared anyways- I was too busy writing.

_..._

_Love,_

_Seaweed Brain_

I put the pen down, put the paper in an envelope, and addressed it, making a mad dash to the mail flight, which was supposed to leave any minute. Before I left, though, acting on a sudden impulse, I hoisted my back pack onto my shoulder, leaving only my pen and sleeping bag in the tent. I just had a...feeling. That I'd need it.

I ran over to the Sargent, who was just getting into the helicopter that would fly the letters to Baghdad, where they would be dispersed throughout the world. "Got time for one more?"

He grinned and took it from me, pushing it through the shute where all the other letters home. "You have no idea," he said with his southern drawl, "how happy it makes me to see all these letters home."

I definitely wasn't expecting the sudden softness of the Sargent, but twenty years in the military, definitely seeing a lot of soldiers write their last message home must have made him that way.

I nodded and slapped the side of the helicopter twice. "Well, you fly safe, Sarge."

We gave each other a quick salute, and I stepped back to a safe distance as the helicopter's rotor blades whirled around, kicking up sand and dust from the camp's airfield.

Once the helicopter was in the air, I turned around to head back to my tent and saw that all the soldiers were coming out of the dining hall, ready for patrol and then more training. I changed course and started making my way to the training area.

I never made it.

At that very moment, the Center of Command and Activities, the building right next to me, exploded with the loudest sound I'd ever heard. I only had enough time to think about my fellow soldiers who were all near me, how they needed to get to safety, before something hit me in the leg and I fell over, the force of the shock wave turning my world to nothing but inky blackness.

* * *

**A/N: I certainly have a knack for killing Percy, don't I? It happened in the Mechanic, The Analyst, and now here.**

**Anyways, reviews would be greatly appreciated! And like I said, I'm getting close to done with this!**

**-epicsilverbullet**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Notes:** As I am doing on all of the other stories I'm updating, I apologize for the long wait time. I'm getting back to my regular updating schedule, though, and this is going to be the second-to-last chapter.

By the way, I updated my House of Hades story. I mean, I'm not sure if no one knows or no one has checked, but I've updated it. Just so you guys know.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own PJO or Dear John

* * *

**Annabeth POV**

**July 19th**

It was pleasant for me to see the mailman actually deliver the damn mail on time, two weeks after I sent my letter. At least, it was better than me looking out the window all day and worrying.

I fumbled with the letter opener for a while (why do they make those things so hard to open?) but managed to make a slit in the envelope and yank it out.

With shaking hands, I started to read.

_Dear Wise Girl,_

_You asked me to tell you about my family. Here goes nothing._

_My family is actually pretty cool. My dad used to take me to Dolphins games a couple of times every season when I was little. I used to love watching Dan Marino play, and I remember getting my Dolphins hat signed by him after one of the games._

_And my mom was awesome. She wasn't the kind of person who would embarrass me at school or anything like that. She liked to watch the same shows I liked when I was a teenager, and we always used to surprise my dad when he came home from work on Sundays. Like, you know, jumping out at him when he opened the door and stuff like that._

_But then, as I got into high school, my dad starting having trouble with my attitude. Said I had no dedication, no motivation to work, which was true. I was just planning to drink my way through high school and get a football scholarship to some big, important, college. I had no idea that that wasn't how it actually worked out._

_Anyways, there was this accident during junior year. My mom was going to the Netherlands to visit some of her friends and the plane crashed into the signal tower somehow, and she died. And ever since then, my dad got extra harsh on me. He had to take on the job of two parents, and since I had no cares in the world, he just got madder and madder, and the day I got rejected by Notre Dame, he blew a fuse. Said I was worthless, and I'd never amount to anything, and that I was a selflish jerk. This was all true, by the way._

_So I joined the army. I still don't know why, but it's helped a lot. It's toughened me out, made me a better person. And I guess you were just god's way of saying he'd forgiven me. That a selfish, unmotivated, undedicated jerk...could have something good in his life._

_See you in a few months._

_Love, _

_Seaweed Brain_

Annabeth smiled through her tears and got out a paper and pen.

* * *

**July 7th**

"How did we not know?"

"Sir, I-"

"HOW THE HELL DID WE NOT KNOW?"

"They...I mean, they were hidden!"

Nico di Angelo grabbed the man in front of him by the shirt collar and yanked him forward. "You're the leader of the bomb disposal squad, aren't you?"

The man nodded. "Yes, sir."

"So you dispose of bombs?"

"Yes, sir."

"THEN HOW COME MY COUSIN'S DYING UNDER THREE TONS OF ROCK, YOU PIECE OF SHIT?"

He let go of the man. "You're not fired. Consider yourself lucky. And I'm only doing that because I hope the next time you screw up, you'll be the one under that fricking building. Not him. Not Percy."

* * *

**July 19th**

_Dear Percy,_

_Wow. All that stuff about your family was just...wow._

_Where does your dad live? Does he still live here in Miami?_

_If he does, do you think you could tell me his address, or at least his phone number? I would like to go visit him._

_I don't have much else to say, just...wow. _

_Please write back soon! Tell me everything that's going on!_

_Love, _

_Annabeth_

* * *

**July 21st**

"Percy Jackson? Is that right?"

Nico looked at the floor and studied his shoes. "Yeah. He's my cousin."

"Room 248. Second floor." The receptionist hesitated. "Uh...the hospital is pretty strict about...about our dress code."

Nico looked down at himself. "What? I- I mean, I'm covered. Covered everywhere, everything's all...all covered up."

"Not the dress code, really, but-"

"Wait. You just said it was the dress code, it was how I dressed."

"Well, yes- no, it- I mean, maybe-"

Nico sighed. "Look, ma'am I just came back from two years in Iraq and Afghanistan, where my cousin, who is now in room 248, survived a bomb, so please don't give me any bulls-"

"Your gun!" She blurted, gesturing towards the nine millimeter in the holster around his waist. "We try to maintain a safe environment, especially because this _is_ a hospital."

Nico looked down at his gun and shrugged. "Well, why didn't you say so?" He took it out of his holster, aimed it at a water fountain, and emptied the eight rounds into it with gigantic booms. The water had a dampening effect better than any bulletproof glass, rendering the bullets incapable of damage as soon as they hit the water.

He put the gun on the receptionist's desk. "Please don't let some psychopath with a couple bucks take this. I might have to hurt him."

He opted for the stairs instead of the elevator and trotted down the hallway of the second floor until he got to room 248. He threw the door open and stepped inside.

Percy was on the bed. His eyes were closed. And a man was sitting next to Percy's bed, quietly crying. He turned around when he heard Nico come in.

Nico stopped dead in his tracks. "No way."

The man stood up. "Nico?" he said tentatively.

Nico stared at him like he couldn't believe his eyes. "Paul?" He then stepped forwards and drew the man into a tight hug. "Paul Jackson, you son of a bitch!" he said, tears streaming down his cheeks.

* * *

**August 4th**

_Dear Percy,_

_Percy? It's been more than two weeks and I haven't heard anything from you, so what's up? I mean, I asked the mailman about it and he said nothing was wrong with the mail, so it must be something from your end. _

_What happened? I mean, I understand if you just don't have time to write back, but whenever you can, just a few short words would be fine._

_Please answer._

_Love, _

_Annabeth_

* * *

**August 4th**

Percy cracked his eyes open.

"Nico?" he said hoarsely. "Nico, is that you?"

Nico all but jumped out of his chair. "Paul!" he yelled out the door. "Paul! Nurse! Doctor! Surgeon! Obama! Anyone! Come on, he's awake!"

The room was instantly flooded with nurses and doctors, all checking Percy's vitals. After he was all checked out, Nico and Paul got to talk to him.

The first thing he said, before his cousin or dad could say anything, was, "Where's Annabeth?"

Nico sighed as the words of encouragement he was about to say died in his throat. "She- I don't know, man, I haven't heard from her in a month, ever since the explosion. No one else has heard of her either. I think- and if there was any other way to say this, I would do it- I think she's moved on."

_Impossible_, Percy thought, but he didn't say it.

He turned to Paul. "Dad," he said stiffly.

Paul sighed. "I want to be mad at you," he said softly, "but the truth is, I can't." His eyes filled with tears.

"I'm sorry."

* * *

**August 21st**

_Dear Percy, _

_WHERE ARE YOU? WHY WON'T YOU ANSWER ME?_

Annabeth threw the pen down on her desk and stood up, slamming the door to her study shut as she left it.

It was official. He wasn't coming back. He was _never_ coming back.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** I changed my mind as I wrote this: this is the last chapter.

Nice, ambiguous endings for the win!

**-epicsilverbullet**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Notes:** I'm just kidding. I was always planning another chapter. That misleading author's note was just to test if people actually read the author's notes.

Last chapter! This was tough to write, but I'm happy with it.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own PJO or Dear John

* * *

It's been three years since the day that my camp blew up. Two years and ten months since I woke up in the hospital. And almost exactly two years since I stopped trying.

For those ten months since I was let out of the hospital, I tried. I tried so damn hard, I almost bailed out at multiple points, because it sure didn't seem like Annabeth wanted to be found.

The reason I tried so hard was because it _was_ that hard to find her, she was hidden that well. I first searched pretty much all of Miami. When I didn't find her, I contacted family, friends, relatives- everyone I could find with the last name "Chase" that I could recall from her letters. It got pretty weird when I found her dad, because apparently she "hated" him, but he was pretty cool. So was her stepmom. I'd like to think that I made things...right between them and their daughter by showing up.

I didn't see her brothers, but her dad called them up at college. They hadn't heard from her either.

I talked to her friends, too. They all told me a bunch of different things, a bunch of different leads for me to follow, a bunch of different disappointments. Thalia was my best hope, since she was Annabeth's best friend, but even her idea turned out to not lead to anything.

So I stopped trying. It hasn't been as bad as they make this kind of thing out to be in the movies, but it was definitely pretty hard in the beginning. At times, my mind would wander back to the days when everything seemed right with the world, and I would think with amazement how life could change so quickly, in the blink of an eye, in an instant.

I got back from another two years of combat a few days ago. It's hard adjusting to normal life out here, but I suppose with a little practice, it would be possible. I've done it before, after all.

The cab lurched to a stop at seventy-eighth street. A little number popped up on the cost calculator thingy. I've always wondered how those work.

**$19.95.**

I leaned into the front seat and handed him a twenty. "Keep the change," I said, feeling extra generous, and I got out of the cab and watched it speed away. In the Middle East, if we caught a vehicle moving that fast, with the suspension sagging like that, it would be seen as a potential bomb threat and we'd have to eliminate it. Two places on earth, so close (ten, twelve hour flight), yet they could be light years apart.

My one constant throughout these past three years has been Nico, and I'm glad to say that. He had called me as soon as I got back and asked me if I'd meet him for coffee, just to catch up, since he's my cousin and all that. He didn't serve the two years I did after I stopped trying.

He told me to meet him at Starbucks today, which is where I was going.

I walked down the block, breathing in the sights and sounds of Manhattan. Admittedly, it took a lot of convincing for me to move to the city, but that was where most of the people I knew lived- Nico, my parents, a lot of my friends from the Marines. The only thing previously holding me back was Annabeth, and, well...that wasn't much of a problem anymore.

I pushed open the door to the Starbucks and noticed a girl sitting at one of the tables, and the sight of her brought back sad memories of Annabeth. She was blonde, too. And she was...you know...a girl.

_Wait a minute..._

* * *

I'll admit it- I gave up.

I'm really not used to not getting what I want, and before that starts to sound bratty and spoiled, know that I get what I want by working for it. When I was six, my parents split up. I wanted them to get back together, but I quickly realized that wanting something to happen would not make it happen. I couldn't work for that to happen, because it wouldn't, but that event did teach me that nothing in life is going to fall into your hands. You need to make it happen. You need to _want_ to make it happen.

With Percy though, he added a whole new level to it. I couldn't work as hard as I could to achieve what I wanted with him, not because I couldn't, but because I shouldn't. And I liked the challenge.

Then he disappeared. I tried to look for him, but I couldn't. The only contact I had with him were the letters, and I didn't even know where his base was because that information was "confidential". My letters would fly to Baghdad, and then the Marines would distribute them, along with all the other letters, as needed. I didn't know where he was, and he didn't carry a phone (or, at least, they wouldn't allow him to use a phone for fear that he would ally with terrorists and use it as a detonator to set off explosives), so I couldn't contact him in any way. I didn't know if he'd survived or not, and there was no way I could find out.

I did call his cousin, Nico, a few days after I heard of the explosion on the news. Nico said that he hadn't heard anything from anyone at the camp, but he was flying there and he'd keep me posted. A week later, I hadn't heard anything, and I officially gave up.

It seemed hasty of me, to just give up like that, but a week is too much time. In a week, Nico could easily have flown to Baghdad, traveled the rest of the way to the base, assessed the damage, and told me that Percy was alive. Or, that Percy was dead. The fact that I gave him enough time and he didn't call, that cemented the thought in my brain that Percy was dead, and he wasn't coming back.

It was a seemingly easy decision, moving to Manhattan. I had friends there from when I attended NYU, not to mention that my parents were moving up to Queens in a few months, so I could be close to them. Looking back on it, the only thing really holding me back to Miami was the fact that Percy lived there. Now that he was...well, that I couldn't find him, I decided to pack up and move. It wasn't a hard transition, and I found myself loving Manhattan.

Three days ago, almost three years after the last time I heard of Percy, Nico called me up. He invited me out for coffee at Starbucks today, saying we could catch up. We hadn't seen each other in two and a half years, after all. I didn't ask him if he knew about Percy. I was too afraid of the answer.

I sipped a vanilla frappuchino and waited at one of the tables on the side for Nico to arrive. And at exactly three-thirty, with the sun still blazing high in the sky, the little bells on the door jingled and Nico walked in, punctual as usual.

_Wait. That's not Nico._

* * *

She stood up out of her seat. "No way."

Percy stared at her. "Annabeth?"

She looked right back at him for a second. "Oh, god."

Percy stepped closer and enveloped her in a tight hug. Tears squeezed out of his eyes and rolled down his shirt.

Annabeth was more happy-happy than crying-happy. "How did you find me? How did you know I was here?"

"I didn't!" he replied. "Nico told me to meet him at-" he stopped, eyes widening in realization. "Nico."

Annabeth pulled away from him as the few people in the store clapped softly. "Come on, sit down," she said, gesturing towards her table, embarrassed at the attention.

They sat down. "So," said Percy, "Nico obviously set this up, and for that I am ever grateful. But how did he find you?"

"I ran into him on the street last week," she answered.

Percy laughed. "Just like that?"

"Just like that."

"Wow."

"How- what happened to you?"

"You mean, the explosion?"

"Yeah."

Percy leaned back in his seat. "I just delivered my letter to you, and the mailing helicopter had just taken off, and then the center of the camp exploded. I later heard that there was a raid on camp, during which dozens of charges were planted that set off each other as they went off. No one died, though- the charges weren't made to kill, they were made to destroy. I guess I was the closest to a fatality that happened."

Annabeth nodded. "And when did you get out?"

"I got knocked out as soon as the first set went off," he answered. "Nico told me that I was buried under some rubble. I broke a few bones, but they all healed. After that, when I left the hospital-which was about a week or two after the explosion- Nico told me that you'd just left, and I didn't believe him, but then you wouldn't answer your phone, so I thought..."

Annabeth looked down. "Yeah. I kinda packed up and moved everything a few weeks after...you know. I changed my number as part of that."

He shrugged. "I guess I can't really blame you for that."

They fell into a comfortable silence. Another coffee appeared in front of Percy, though he didn't order one and didn't pay for one.

"I..." he trailed off. "I really missed you, Annabeth. A lot. I mean, I thought I didn't need...this," a reference to love, "but I guess..."

She nodded as if she understood, which she probably did. "You do need it," she said. "You need it a lot. And so do I."

He smiled and took another sip of his drink. "Yeah," he said. "I think...I think I need you."

Annabeth smiled back. "I think I need you, too."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** And that's the way the cookie crumbles.

Sorry. I've always wanted to say that.

Well, it's done! I thank all previous and future reviewers, as it is as a result of the nice things you had to say that I continued this story!

I know this hasn't been one of my most well-received stories ever, but I sure had fun writing it and I hope you liked reading it!

Peace, love, and Gosling movies!

**-epicsilverbullet**


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